MONTHLY REPORT -AUGUST

            It seems crazy that I have been here for a month and a half already! The time is flying by so fast! It STILL feels like I just arrived in Mumbai last night. But, I'm so happy that I have been here for this amount of time! I have already been able to experience so much. (I feel bad for other exchange students that are just arriving this week. They have already missed so many interesting things).

            The month of August was another month full of entirely new and very interesting experiences. I was able to enjoy three family birthdays, sadly said goodbye to one of my host sisters, Aishwarya, my first Indian haircut, and my first Bollywood movie in an Indian theatre. Not to mention all of the daily experiences here that would seem alien in the USA.

            I had a really good month. I feel that I am becoming an actual Indian and adjusting to the culture and the customs more and more daily. I am loving school everyday and enjoy being with my friends there and my family at home. I am used to the stares and second glances now, (I don't feel like there is something on my face every time someone looks at me weird).

            I had the pleasure of being involved in; my host father's, host sister's, and an extended family member's birthday this month. It was interesting to see how similar their celebrations are compared to ours. Personally, I really enjoyed all of the festivities. From my father's "around the water cooler" conversations with his friends, to the noise and scariness of 25 pre-teen girls in one house for my sister. It was neat that the extended family member actually lives in the US, New Jersey, but is originally from India. I was able to carry out a very nice conversation -in English.

            My first Indian haircut was also quite an experience. Instead of just going to my normal place and saying, "The Usual," I had to tell my father what I wanted, exactly, and then he translated it to the barber. Luckily, the haircut turned out nice, and short enough I won't have to worry about another one for quite some time. Although, I wouldn't mind another relaxing head massage with the natural oils the barbers give after the haircuts are finished.

            It was hard to say goodbye to my sister Aishwarya. She had done so much for me and helped me daily by getting me where I needed to go, introducing me to people and the city, and helping me understand Marathi by translating what people said. I know that she is having a great time in Minnesota, but being selfish, sometimes I wish she were still around. It surprised me how much I could miss a person after just knowing them for one month. Nevertheless, life goes on and I still have her amazing family with me.

            Bollywood definitely needs its own name. It is so different from any movies I have ever seen, and I have seen A LOT of movies. The theatres here are huge! Although they seat probably close to the same number as the normal size theatres in the US, they only have a slight elevation from row to row, without stadium seating, which makes them stretch on and on. The movie I saw with my family was Singham. Although I understood only two percent of the words, I was still able to follow the plot quite directly. What really surprised me though, was leaving the theatre. There were hundreds of people all trying to leave through one very long, very thin -for that amount of people- hallway. I just kept thinking to myself, "Multiple exits would be REALLY nice right about now."

            Going into September, it was the start of the Ganesh Festival. My first encounter with the other exchange students here in Pune, and the first Rotary meeting for the inbound students. More details on these will come in future blogs, and the September monthly report.

            Overall, I'm still Lovin' India.